Located in the southeast corner of Nanjing city, the Jiangnan Gongyuan is a large-scale imperial examination site from ancient China, a place where talents were selected in the southern regions, and one of the three major ancient architectural complexes in the Confucius Temple area, an important part of the Qinhuai scenic belt. According to the records in ‘Nanchuang Jitan’: The Jiangnan Gongyuan, originally known as Jiankang (Nanjing), was first established in the fourth year of the Qiandao period of the Southern Song Dynasty (1168 AD) by the prefect Shi Zhengzhi, initially serving as an examination venue for the county school.
It did not occupy a large area, and the number of candidates was also not many. When the number of candidates increased, they would borrow monasteries to hold the examinations. After continuous expansion during the Ming and Qing dynasties, by the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the Jiangnan Gongyuan had developed into a complex with 20,644 examination cells, plus more than a thousand official rooms for the chief examiners, supervisors, proctors, and other officials, as well as rooms for catering, storage, miscellaneous services, and security. It also included land for ponds, gardens, bridges, passages, and watchtowers, making it the largest examination site in the country in terms of scale, land area, and number of buildings. Opening hours are from 09:00 to 21:00 all year round; during New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day, the opening hours are extended to 09:00 to 22:00.
Preferential policies include: Children under 1.4 meters in height (inclusive) or aged 6 years old (inclusive) enter for free; elderly people aged 70 years old (inclusive) and above enter for free with an elderly card; elderly people aged 60 to 70 (excluding 70) enjoy discounts (please show ID when exchanging tickets); students aged 22 years old (inclusive) and under enjoy discounts (please show student ID when exchanging tickets); individuals with a certificate for bravery in public welfare enter for free; firefighters with a firefighting rescue certificate enter for free; blood donors with a blood donation honor certificate enter for free; retired cadres enter for free with a valid retirement certificate (one accompanying person allowed); military retirees enter for free with a valid retirement certificate; disabled people enter for free with a valid disability certificate (those with disability levels 1 and 2 can bring one accompanying person for free); active-duty military personnel enter for free with a valid military ID (officer’s ID, soldier’s ID, civilian staff ID); veterans and other preferential treatment recipients enter for free with a preferential treatment certificate (‘People’s Republic of China Veterans’ Preference Certificate’, ‘People’s Republic of China Martyrs, Military Personnel Who Died in Service, and Bereaved Families Preference Certificate’) and their ID card.
Service facilities include a parking lot: [Laiyan Shopping Mall Parking Lot] with a reference price of ¥8 per hour, located at the intersection of Laiyan Road and Wuyi Lane, with 61 parking spaces; luggage storage is free of charge; the scenic area provides guided tours, which can be purchased at the ticket office.
Baby Stroller Rental: Reference Price: Free, with a deposit of 500 yuan required; Address: Tourist Center.
Restrooms: Multiple restrooms are available within the garden, all with directional signs. Nursery Room: Located at the restroom area. Dining: A variety of snack shops surround the scenic area. Convenience Stores: Several convenience stores are available within the scenic area, located on the ground floor of the Jiangnan Imperial Academy and the first floor of the Imperial Examination Museum. They offer beverages and snacks and support WeChat and Alipay payments.
